Hello everyone! My name is Becky and I’m a contributor at Houzz, a home design site focused on helping design professionals and homeowners manage the remodeling and decorating process. Thanks so much to Maryann for having me! I am crazy about The Power of Paint because I am HOPELESS at DIY projects, but one thing I can handle is giving an old piece new life with paint. While I won’t win any awards for craft and careful prepping, I’m always pleased with the results. I so appreciate Maryann for providing so much inspiration to me and others like me.

Right now my motto is “the glossier, the better” as I went through a big Shabby Chic phase about a decade ago and I’m tired of vacuuming up chips from my former peely paint jobs! Clean and simple paint jobs are fresh and fun, and the worse that can happen is if you hate it, you sand it down and coat it in a different color. Here are three paint makeovers that are currently inspiring me.

The black and white paint job on this traditional bowfront dresser gave it an updated and glamorous look. I love the way the contrast accentuates those curved horizontal lines across the front of the dresser. The black and white makes it modern, the classic colonial style keyholes and drawer pulls keep just enough of its traditional style.

Moving to a completely different era, this midcentury console’s tired wood finish was taking a toll on its grooviness quotient. A fresh coat of bold blue paint spruced it right back up to its former glory. It’s also a versatile piece that can be used as a dresser in the bedroom, a media cabinet in the family room or as a buffet in the dining room.

Brian Patrick Flynn, a.k.a. Decor Demon, united this seemingly disparate set of chairs with coordinating paint and upholstery fabric. He completed all of the paint work using an orbital sander, a sanding block for those trickier curves and details, spray primer, highgloss spray paint and a spray handle.

The result is a funky set of previously overlooked chairs that brighten up a breakfast nook. I love the idea of using paint to create a set of chairs for the dining room, kitchen and even outdoors on a patio or porch.

I hope these projects will help inspire you to get out the dropcloth and the brushes and give a tired piece a whole new look!

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